October 12, 2011

decision time

The threat of frost last weekend (that fortunately never happened) has spurred me into a greater appreciation of the garden. I've been making concerted efforts to get outdoors as much as possible before the season truly is over (not that it's difficult, just a matter of time management!)

I've noticed that Verbena bonariensis is the "go to" bloom for October. Thank goodness it seeded itself all over the garden because the bees and bumbles (the latter a rare sighting this summer) are really using it.

Probably because (even tho I've been trying to add more) I still feel like there's a deficit of fall bloomers in my garden. Something to keep working on...

Strangely enough, the foliage of most trees & shrubs have only the barest hint of fall color? I need to look back thru photos from previous Octobers but I'm pretty sure the garden was starting to be "decked out" in autumn brilliance by this time in years past... For now, a sea of green is still what greets the eye ~ note the antique birdhouse which is barely visible thru all the rose foliage:

That splotch of pink is a cluster of roses, blooming for the third and final time. Elsewhere in the garden, other plants, with the luxury of extra time this mild fall, are also re-blooming. Check out the Canterbury bells basking in afternoon sunlight:

It looks like the Brugmansia buds just might make it to blooming as well.

Ever so close....

It's impossible to forget the month with dwindling daylight hours & fall touches like a pumpkin that replaced 'Adonis Blue' Buddleia in front of the birdhouse tuteur:

and of course the black mum-filled urns:

This is the time (instead of waiting until the last minute) to decide which plants to overwinter. Two Colocasias are on my "maybe" list ~ 'Mojito:'

and 'Blue Hawaii:'

What to do, what to do.... I LOVE the foliage but haven't had much luck storing them in my basement. Maybe the garage??

Then there's this vibrant lantana that I'm toying with turning into a topiary:

I've never shaped any of my tenders or annuals into topiary form before but I love the effect. I saw my 'Powder Puff' Hibiscus as a topiary TREE (!!) last weekend and fell in love all over again. That's what got me thinking about trying it. I wonder how long it takes to get a nice height & shape??

I have a boat load of bulbs to plant too. I believe I was over zealous when ordering back in June ~ I remember thinking I had lots of new planting areas in my back garden. Now that they've arrived tho, I am wondering if I'll get them all in the ground. If you don't hear from me for a few days, you'll know what I'm doing!

p.s. I joined a neighborhood book club this fall and had my second meeting last night. So fun. We met around a fire pit (I came home feeling like I'd gone camping). Our book this month was "The Man in the Rockefeller Suit." I'm mentioning this because we also all brought ingredients to create a "smores bar" ~ it was my first time thinking outside the box of a "regular smore." My contribution was pumpkin marshmallows, cream cheese & cinnamon. I'm wondering if anyone else has experimented with this favorite summer treat??

I am in season denial. I should be thinking of bringing my houseplants in from the porch....but, no, not yet.
:-)
Your book club sounds like fun. I have a food web site my daughter hooked me up with. Foodgawker.com you can search by ingredient or desserts or partial title. Super sight!

Your 'smores sound wonderful and so does the book club. It seems like fall is late appearing here too. Most all trees are still green. Is it just us or is it later than normal? Love the birdhouse/rose photo!

Kathleen: I'm jealous that your autumn is delayed a bit. Ours is in full force now and we're definitely past peak. But things are looking festive for the upcoming Halloween activities. I love your Colocasia and Lantana photos!

It is time to get out and enjoy the garden isn't it? A friend of ours had a wonderful harvest garden party this week, it was lovely.
I've overwintered our elephant ear bulbs in the crawlspace for years, but this year most of them gave up. Time to purchase new ones I guess.